


Now we're strangers (But I miss you)

by Dark_Sans



Series: The Elder Scrolls - Etheria [4]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Catra is the Dragonborn, I will not complete this sentence, In other words they are a bunch of, Maybe - Freeform, Morally Ambiguous Character, Morally Neutral Character, Multi, Neither side is really good or bad., Only one side can be considered good
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-02-08 03:54:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21469645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dark_Sans/pseuds/Dark_Sans
Summary: And as he watched the feline continue on her way toward the peak of Throat of the World, dragging that dragon skull as carefully as she could considering its size, Bow couldn't help but smile as the mercenary turned to Glimmer when the Demi -Altmer called her name."... I know we're strangers now ... But we miss you too, you Stupid Cat.""Whatever you say, Sparks."(Or, the first Rebellion battle against a dragon, and the moment Catra unleashes her true Thu'um)
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow & Catra (She-Ra), Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Catra/Glimmer (She-Ra), Paarthurnax (Elder Scrolls)/Catra (She-Ra)
Series: The Elder Scrolls - Etheria [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1434676
Comments: 6
Kudos: 34





	1. Never Again

**Author's Note:**

> Well, it took a while to post this here, but here it is. I don't have much to say other than 'I hope you enjoy the chapter', so ... Enjoy.
> 
> (Ps: She-ra's fourth season inspired me in a lot of things that I will put into this story, especially for me to put in the mercenaries)

The major city of Brightmoon, where the well-known 'Queen of Etheria' and leader of the Princess Legion lives. The only major city besides Whiterun that wasn't attacked by the Horde and bravely resisted or completely submitted. A peaceful and quiet place for all ...

“How many times do we have to tell you? Stop this 'Rebellion' nonsense, they aren't necessary! ”

“Nonsense!? If it wasn't for my Rebellion, several villages would be doomed in the hands of The Horde, and even in **YOUR hands**! ”

_... Well, maybe not so calm and quiet ..._

That's what went through Bow's head as he watched Glimmer and Queen Angella argue, possibly for the thousandth time, while the other leaders of the Princess Legion stared at the two young men with an expression they must think it was quite intimidating.

Ever since Glimmer founded the small rebel organization that was simply known as 'The Rebellion', or just 'Rebellion', the story was always the same: The Horde attacked somewhere or the Princess Legion did something that could harm the small towns and villages of its holds, The Rebellion counterattacked, and later in the day, Glimmer and Angella argued about the organization's existence, especially when the Rebellion did something against the Legion.

Bow lost count of how many times the Princess Legion members threatened to banish The Rebellion and its followers from their holds, or to leave the Legion if they continued to hinder the 'development' of their cities, but never really put a finger on them. Or how many times they nearly died while saving people from monsters or The Horde and receiving the same cold treatment from the Legion.

_Maybe Catra and Adora were right in the end. Maybe deep down, the Horde and the Princess Legion are just two sides of the same coin ..._

“Enough!” The queen's furious scream roused the Redguard archer from his thoughts. “You're grounded, Glimmer! Go to your room! ”

"Well, I was just going!" Glimmer also scream, slamming her hands roughly on the table as she stood, slamming the door shut as she left. Taking advantage of the cue, Bow also got up and said goodbye to the leaders before running towards his best friend.

It wasn't hard to find her since she was really in the room. She was furiously hitting the pillows as she screamed, a pink aura beginning to emerge around her.

Uh oh ...

"Glimmer..."

“I just don't understand! Why do they keep complaining to us if we're the only ones doing something that's not making people's lives worse in small towns and villages ?!" She shouted, interrupting Bow and making her aura brighter, her hands starting to fade and appear quickly. “Why are we doing the right thing and we're treated like the bad guys ?! That's not fair!!"

Bow stepped forward, startled when he noticed that the young mage's eyes were bright now. He needed to do something quick to calm her down before she was gone, but simply asking would make the situation worse.

What to do...?

“Life is never fair, remeber? When you are thirsty, it throws you bitter and hard lemons, and you have to turn around to make a sweet and refreshing lemonade..." Bow stoped, hoping that would work.

"... And then you regret it because you realize that you could have simply drunk the water instead of wasting energy to make lemonade.”

As she recited the rest of the sentence, her body began to relax. She blinked before looking at herself and noticing the situation she was in, then she closed her eyes as she took a deep breath, her body soon returning to a steady state without a bright aura. When she opened her eyes again, they were normal too.

“Feeling better?” The archer asked the Demi-Altmer, sitting beside her on the bed. Glimmer also sat down and hugged his knees, hiding his face between them.

"A little..."

"... Do you want...?"

"No. I already went to Whiterun three days ago, it may seem suspicious to show up again so early there. ”

The archer frowned, it never stopped Glimmer from going there before, and depending on the case, she even encouraged. However, he was silent, as he knew very well what had changed in recent days.

Catra.

The last time they had seen the feline was about three years ago, when she came to them with tears in her eyes as she explained that Adora had been captured again by The Horde. He still remembers Catra's fury when the Legion refused to help, as it was the first time the Redguard had really been afraid of the young mercenary, and if it weren't for Glimmer and the guards, half of the Princess Legion's leaders would be dead in that day.

When Bow, Glimmer, and Angella went the next day to her cell to release her and apologize, all they found were the knocked out guards and the open cell. The name 'Adora' having been nailed to the cell walls, perhaps by the feline's claws, or by the weapons she had retrieved in her escape along with the rest of the equipment.

Even though Glimmer never says aloud, Bow knew that day, the day she lost her two best friends at one time because of The Horde and the Princess Legion, was the trigger for the Demi-Altmer to found The Rebellion.

After all, the Rebellion motto is 'Never Again', and this phrase is quite self-explanatory about who created and who is participating.

Now, Catra suddenly appeared in Whiterun as if none of this had happened and as if she had never met them before. The archer wasn't sure if she really forgot about them as it did with Adora, or if she was pretending not to know them so as not to arouse suspicion of the Etherian warrior with amnesia. He didn't doubt it was the last one, Catra is an evil genius and master of manipulating and deceiving people after all. There was a time when a guard saw Catra steal a nobleman and, strangely, ended up with that nobleman being arrested for selling slaves and Catra was invited to the great Princess Prom, entitled to two 'plus-one', thanks to her heroic act.

Bow even today wondered how exactly she did that.

Saying nothing, Glimmer laid her head on his best friend's shoulder, silent tears streaming into her eyes. Bow gently hugged her as he stroked the young mage's soft hair, wanting more than anything to do something to cheer her up, anything.

Instead, he let the Demi-Altmer cry on her shoulder, letting her release all her stress along with those tears. Everyone has a breaking point, and she has finally reached hers in recent years.

And like any good brother, he will always be there to help Glimmer pick up her pieces to make her whole again.


	2. Strangers known, friends lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, I wrote this story while I had my game, but I ended up losing my old PC and my old character, that kind of discouraged me from continuing. And every time I gained the courage to continue, something made me discouraged again.  
But then She-ra's season finale came up, now I have my own PC again, and I don't have much to do in this epidemic except to help here at home. All of this made me return to history.  
Let's hope things like that don't happen again...  
Hope you like it!

Glimmer held her staff tightly, in an attempt to stop the tremors in her hand while the Rebellion waited for they enemy to appear. All of them were also shivering while they were sweating, but none of them would allow fear to control them, they refused to back down until their mission was accomplished. They entered the Rebellion precisely because they could no longer stand still while the whole world attacked them.

If someone had told Glimmer that at some point she would have a special group to face threats across Etheria, including the Horde and the Legion of Princesses, she would have laughed at the person. But here she is, leading the Rebellion in the small village that has been attacked by two ice dragons that have suddenly emerged from a large cave, and is desperately asking for help because of it.

And she didn't know why, but Glimmer couldn't stop feeling that these strange and sudden resurgences of dragons have something to do with the strange black winged creature that almost killed Adora a year ago.

"Is this really necessary? Is there no alternative to stop dragons besides killing them?” The village leader, Perfuma, asked possibly for the millionth time, while she was hiding with everyone else, looking up at the sky while waiting for the dragon's next attack.

Even after her village was attacked by dragons, she and the villagers still had hope for a peaceful resolution. Glimmer had to admire her belief in her ideology, despite the situation.

"... The Dragonborn would do that." It was Glimmer's response, which made Perfuma's eyes widen, before nodding with a determined expression.

The Demi-Altmer had no idea why this village idolized the Dragonborn, if it was because it is so close to the Throat of the World or something else, but she had the feeling that Catra is going to have a party when she finds out about this village. Doing things like ordering a statue in your honor or wanting to be the leader of that place, or something like this.

A very simple plan on paper, but very complicated in its execution, and I still had to count on the luck that the pride of the dragons prevented them from allying themselves against the Rebellion.

Not for the first time, Glimmer would like Catra to be there, or Adora ...

... Even without the sword, Adora was still one of the best people to fight a dragon, the attack on Whiterun proved it.

The sound of an echoing roar woke the Demi-Altmer of her thoughts. She looked at the skies just in time to see a brown dragon, which appeared to be much smaller than she expected, passing through the village, analyzing the seemingly empty place. The beast began to fly around, looking disinterested, before his gaze focused on exactly where Glimmer was hiding and he stopped in midair, a sly smile on his face that made the Demi-Altmer swallow hard.

Before the beast could do anything, an arrow pierced its wing, which caused the dragon to turn furiously in the direction from which it was attacked. Bow took a step back before hiding behind a house, narrowly escaping the Dragon's Fire Breath.

Fire Breath?

Shouldn't the two dragons be ice dragons?

The dragon flew to where Bow was, preparing himself once more to launch his attack against the Redguard. Without a second's hesitation, Glimmer attacked with her magic, and the Rebellion followed her lead, also beginning their attack with arrows and spells.

The dragon roared, speaking something in a language vaguely familiar to the Demi-Altmer, before starting to attack again with its Fire Breath, the village houses beginning to burn and the fire spreading around. The ice mages hesitated, not sure if they should continue to attack or contain the fire, and the dragon took the opportunity to make an attack on the village, destroying houses and hitting people, the fire starting to spread faster due to the flapping of its wings.

Glimmer mentally cringed as she watched the destruction, trying to hit that dragon's wing. A fire dragon! The first dragon she will face was a fire dragon in a village that is being rebuilt with wood! She turned to the village leader, who looked as scared as she was.

"Why didn't you tell us that one of them was fire?!"

“H-He never did that! He simply attacked with his tail and wings before flying away! ”

A burning tree began to fall where they were, and the leaders quickly dodged and separated to command their respective groups. During the battle, Glimmer could have sworn she saw an orange glow in a distant place, but it was possibly another flame spreading in the forest.

Bow, cautious as he is, had a full supply of arrows of ice that was being used against the dragon, which was no longer flying and now attacked with its tail and teeth. One of the arrows hit the dragon's eye, which screamed again in fury and used its Fire Breath in the sky before attacking Bow with its tail. Glimmer managed to push her friend away from the attack, taking the blow for herself and being hurled at a large rock.

For a moment, everything went dark and silent, and Glimmer wondered if this was what death looked like before her soul was taken. But then her whole body screamed in pain and muffled voices began to emerge, and she realized that her eyes were closed and refused to open. Someone held her, saying something to her as her entire body began to tingle and the pain slowly subsided. Glimmer did her best to be able to open her eyes, facing the sight of Perfuma in front of her, with a very worried expression.

Perfuma spoke to her as her hands shone, beginning to heal the young mage's wounds. Glimmer turned her head a little, trying to understand the battle situation with her blurred vision. The dragon seemed weakened and her squad was managing to beat the creature, following the orders of Bow and an orange Khajiit girl.

Glimmer blinked, trying to clear her vision. That wasn't a Khajiit girl, that is ...

"... Catra?"

Catra used her daggers to hit one of the dragon's front legs, which made him stagger, and two warriors used the creature's imbalance to get their Greatswords through the dragon's chest. The dragon screamed in pain again, and the rest of the Rebellion warriors also took the opportunity to stick their weapons in the dragon. One last magic arrow from Bow to the beast's head was the final blow they needed, and the dragon fell dead to the ground. The dragon's body rotted in parts as orange smoke left its body and went to Catra, creating a silhouette of a roaring dragon before disappearing into her body.

The mercenary sighed as she stretched, that was almost. If she hadn't seen the burning of the forest and that Fire Breath in the sky, she wouldn't be here, ready to receive the dragon's soul, and who knows what can happen if she doesn't devour their soul.

"Catra?" Catra turned in time to see Bow approach, but couldn't escape the crushing embrace that Redguard was giving. Catra cried out in surprise before letting him hug her for a while, but she quickly moved away from him. "What are you doing here?"

"I was going to the mountain when I heard dragon roars, what's your excuse, Arrow Boy?" She asked sarcastically, but for some reason it made Bow's eyes shine with tears. "Er ..."

“This is my nickname! You remember my nickname !!!” He hugged her another time, this time really crying. Catra sighed at the display of affection.

"And that's why I didn't say anything to you..." Once again, she frees herself from Redguard's embrace and turns around, only to be embraced again, this time by Glimmer. "_AGAIN_?!"

"Don't you know how scared we were both when you said you didn't recognize us?" Glimmer shouted in her face, moving away just enough to swing the feline from side to side. “We almost had a heart attack when we realized that Adora doesn't remember us, and then you do the same thing when we meet ?! What the hell were you thinking ?! ”

"Avoiding something like that was one of my thoughts!" The mercenary screamed as she walked away, jumping to give her and the pair an extra distance. “Can you guys calm down a little? It isn’t a big deal."

_IT ISN'T A BIG DEAL?!?!_ Glimmer thought irritably. Suddenly, all her concern and longing for the feline became fury and anger. She started to wonder if Catra had enough fur to make a rug or something ...

"Y-You ... Is it really you?" The three turned to Perfuma, who had tears in her eyes as she stared at Catra. The villagers also looked at the feline as if it were some kind of deity. “You are the Dragonborn, correct? You heard our prayers and came to us to help us, didn't you? ”

The Demi-Altmer bit the inside of her cheek, worried. This is the moment when Catra will give that malicious smile and start wanting a lot of things from that village, right? She turned to the mercenary, ready to ask him to leave that place in peace, when she noticed her neutral expression, carefully analyzing the village that was almost destroyed.

"..." She sighed and ran a bandaged hand through her hair, pointing in one direction with the other. “... There is another dragon, going in that direction. He's dead, possibly a Dragonborn job.” This made the residents look at her confused, especially Perfuma. Hadn't she just absorbed that dragon's soul? Wasn't the Demi-Khajiit in front of you the legendary Dragonborn?

At the same time, Glimmer and Bow faced each other, also confused. Catra was ... Running away from fame? The girl they had seen playing and cheating more times than they remembered to gain attention and power, was now deviating from the possibility of having everything she wanted, even in a small village?

"Since that body is abandoned, it means that the Dragonborn doesn't care about his corpse." The feline continued, deliberately ignoring the confused looks. “Dragons are rare and practically all of them can be used in some way, whether in construction or in alchemy. And everything is worth a lot of money, even the meat.” Catra pointed to the dragon next to her. “If I were you, I would use the scales and bones of dragons to create stronger houses, and what was left over would sell in some big city to earn some money. Or for anything else they want.”

"... So... Aren't you Dragonborn?" One of the residents finally asked, Catra turned to him.

"I am Catra, a mercenary and apparently part-time dragon slayer." It was her only answer before walking away and walking into the forest, a strange Etherian warrior that none of them recognized immediately followed her. As the residents began to discuss what to do with The Rebellion now, Glimmer and Bow ran towards the feline.

A thousand things were going on in their heads, most of them wanting to understand what the hell just happened. They found the feline in a small clearing, talking to the unknown warrior, who was leaning against the skull of a dragon, possibly the dragon she killed in the forest.

"Catra!" The mercenary turned to the duo, who were slightly out of breath with the chase. "What was that? I mean, it was really cool of you what you did, but still ... ”

"Glimmer ..."

Glimmer stopped talking, both because of the delicate way the mercenary called her and because she called her by name. Catra only called her by name when she had something important and serious to talk about or discuss. Apparently, that hasn't changed even after those years.

“I know that after everything that has happened, the last thing you want is to be separated from us. I know you want to be our friends again, that we do the same things that we used to do and everything, but ...” Catra looked away for a few seconds. "... You need to understand that your two friends are dead."

Silence. The only sound in the clearing was the wind swaying the leaves on the trees.

"... W ... What ...?" The Demi-Altmer took a step forward, confused. "W ... What do you mean?"

“I mean that your two friends are gone. And they probably stopped existing a long time ago. ” The mercenary sighed, running a bandaged hand through her hair. “Adora and Catra that you met were gone, two completely different people took their place. And one of them doesn't even remember about her past life. ”

“B-But we can fix this! We can make her remember ... ”

“Bow, stop. That's exactly what I'm talking about, you are chasing your friends' ghosts in unknown people. You have no idea what Adora did, what I did, what we like and hate now, who we are ...” Catra looked at her bandaged arm. "... And I don't think we even know who we are now."

The two leaders of the Rebellion looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Because they know that she is right. They still remember how confused they were at the actions that Adora took at first, jumping headlong into a confrontation to protect a village instead of coldly considering whether or not to risk her life to help. Having this whole hero complex and needing to prove herself to others when she has never done anything like this before. And today, the two were sure that Catra would take advantage of her powers to have the village under her control.

And even though Catra hasn't said anything, they know that they, too, were virtually unknown compared to three years ago. Glimmer from before never led anything and she possibly would have already exploded at the beginning of this conversation, while Bow from before would probably still be just another historian, not one of the best archers in the region.

“We aren't enemies, but we are also not friends. We are people who have just met and feel a certain familiarity with each other. For now ... We are just strangers. ”

Again, the place was quiet for a while, with the two young soldiers not knowing what to do. Catra waited patiently until she was sure they had absorbed her words.

“And honestly? Even with all that, I would still like to be friends with you.” This won both surprised and hopeful looks. “Only if you want to be my friends too. Not hers, the girl you met ... but from me. ” The two looked at each other for a few seconds before smiling and nodding at the feline.

"We would love. How about we meet next week in Whiterun? So the three of us and Adora can go out together. ” Bow said, extending his hand to the mercenary, who accepted without hesitation. "I'm going to take a picnic basket, just in case."

"Sounds good to me. I think you better go back to your group of rebels, they may find it strange that your leaders disappear like that out of nowhere.” The mercenary spoke as she ruffled the Demi-Altmer's hair, much to the minor's irritation, and soon she went back to approach the dragon skull.

Bow and Glimmer looked at each other again, sharing their feelings and doubts about it all without a single word. They knew it would be difficult, not to fall into the customs they had in the past, to know that nothing would be the same as before, never again.

But as he watched the feline continue its way towards the peak of Throat of the World, dragging the dragon's skull as carefully as possible with that strange warrior, Bow couldn't help but smile when the mercenary turned to Glimmer when the Demi-Altmer called her name.

"... I know we are strangers now ... But we miss you, you stupid cat."

"Whatever you say, Sparks."

Things may never be the same again, but that doesn't mean they can't be better.

Great, even.

***

"You know, I'm surprised you didn't say anything during our conversation."

“Oh, please, kitten. As if I were going to spoil that drama that was unfolding right in front of me! ”

Catra rolled her eyes in an exaggerated way, but she couldn't hide her smile as she looked at her shape-shifter thief friend. Double Trouble's only response was a smile that showed all their sharp teeth and a wink.

"Remind me why I still support you as a friend ..."

"You love me, don't try to deny it." The answer made the feline laugh a little, she already imagined that they would say something like that.

The two continued to climb the Throat of the World, carefully carrying Whiterun's dragon skull, which, according to Catra, was something very important and needed to remain intact. DT had no idea why this was so valuable, but they were not paid to question the missions that were delivered.

In fact, they hadn't even been paid for it, but they would rather die than admit to having agreed to do it for free!

"... I had realized that she was strange, but I don't think I stayed long enough to find the root of the problem." Catra knew this was DT's way of apologizing, so she simply nodded seriously. "What are you going to do now?"

"What do you think? I will keep my promise, this is the only thing that will never change in me.” The mercenary looked at the top of the mountain, just a little while longer and they would reach their destination. “I can't be with my Adora anymore, nevermore. But maybe I can keep my promise with this Adora, even if she doesn't know it. It will be a little difficult, but I am used to difficulties. ”

"Ah, you don't have to remind me of that, kitten, the adventures I had with you can make me laugh more than seeing children falling for nonsense." The thief commented, their sly smile returning to normal. Catra can only roll her eyes again, mumbling something about having very strange friends in her circle of friendship.

Finally, after a long climb, Catra stopped walking. They both placed the skull gently on the ground, and once she was sure everything was fine, she started looking up, looking for something. It did not take long for who she was looking for to appear.

A giant silhouette passed over them before gliding around them and landing a few feet away. A large dragon was now in front of them, looking like a very old dragon. Its scales were faded, several small scars were scattered on its body, some parts of the horns and spines were broken and some teeth were missing. It was a creature that obviously went through many fights, giving it the appearance of an ancient and terrifying warrior.

Catra's tail twitched happily without her permission.

"_Drem Yol Lok, dii bormah Paarthurnax._"

Paarthurnax gave a small grunt as he showed his fangs, Catra had known him long enough to know it was a smile.

"_Drem Yol Lok, dii kiir Catra._"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drem Yol Lok, dii bormah Paarthurnax - Greetings, my father Paarthurnax  
Drem Yol Lok, dii kiir Catra - Greetings, my child Catra   
(Or as close to that as I can get, I'm not fluent in Dragon Language!)
> 
> See you later, and I hope the next chapter won't take too long ...

**Author's Note:**

> "Is Rebellion the only good faction that isn't neutral in Etheria?"  
Perhaps. I'm not sure. Probably. There aren't a lot of really good things in the Elder Scrolls world, so it's possible that they are more 'heroes' than the others.
> 
> I will try to post the second part as soon as I can right now, so I hope you wait patiently. Comment on what you think, if possible. See you next chapter!


End file.
